Dr. Phil Claims Shutdowns Deadlier Than Coronavirus In Wild Fox News Appearance

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw appeared on FUX Noise on Thursday evening to slam the shutdowns intended to stop the spread of coronavirus.

McGraw, a psychologist, talked about the mental health toll on people living in isolation and said the lockdowns would “create more destruction and actually more death across time than the actual virus will itself.” Then, he compared the toll of the virus to other causes of death.

“Forty-five thousand people a year die from automobile accidents, 480,000 from cigarettes, 360,000 a year from swimming pools,” McGraw said, “but we don’t shut the country down for that. But yet we’re doing it for this?”

Some of McGraw’s numbers were off. According to the CDC, there are about 3,500 fatal unintentional drownings per year in the United States; another 32,000 are killed in motor vehicle accidents.

Swimming deaths and traffic fatalities are also not contagious.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/dr-phil-claims-shutdowns-deadlier-than-coronavirus-in-wild-fox-news-appearance/ar-BB12Ll4c?li=BBnb7Kz

Dr. Phil is no more a medical doctor than Dr. Laura is. Save us from these broadcast media fakes.

[RandySF]

2. He's not even a physician.

[greenjar_01]

3. I just want to take the number of automobile accident deaths as an example

The number of deaths from automobile accidents is fairly regular. It ranges from between 32,000-42,000 per year over the last 20 years, but usually ends up around 35,000-37,000.

We know this. We can reduce it at the margins, and, indeed, if you track the number over 40 years, we see significant reductions associated with, for example, the time period during which the drinking age was increased to 21, widespread seatbelt enforcement, safer car design, etc.

But it will usually land around 35,000 a year. Our health systems (and other systems - funeral homes etc.) have already priced this number in. We have a fairly good sense of how many car accidents there will be, how many people will require hospitalization, how many will die. It's a consistent number that doesn't overextend a health system that has adjusted for it.

That's the main reason these comparisons are so dumb. We know roughly how many people - given smoking rates that are closely surveilled by doctors and insurance companies - how many people will need treatment for smoking-related illness. It's a consistent but falling number, as the smoking rates go down. It's already adjusted for.

The problem with COVID-19 is that it is 1) unpredictable and 2) not built into the system capacities.

That dipshit television guy pretending not to understand this is doing a real disservice to the country.

[cayugafalls]

4. For a Dr, he makes an awful weak analogy.

The difference is the rub. Viruses are not accidents or choices. People choose to swim, smoke or drive a car. People do not choose to get a virus.

Logical fallacies are easy to combat, which is why he had to appear on Faux News to spread his ignorant ranting.

[Blue Owl]

5. Thanks Dr. Fuckstick

n/t

[Windy City Charlie]

6. I'm guessing

I'm guessing next week we'll start hearing fake stories about how just as many people dying from the economic shutdown than from the virus itself. Anything to incite panic in the Trumpers to riot to get the economy reopened.

[struggle4progress]

7. "We need to put somebody who doesn't really know anything on TV! How about that Phil guy?"

[Gothmog]

8. I never understood the appeal of this idiot

[panader0]

9. He's not even a real psychologist.

Not licensed in any state.

[TeamPooka]

10. Time to target stations that carry his show with a boycott. His TV distributor too.

[spanone]

11. fox is a group alternate reality believers. up is down. down is up. right is left....

It should be on the syfy channel

...and it should not be allowed to use the moniker 'news'